Change Employer on a Skilled Worker Visa: How Switching Jobs Works in 2026

Changing employers while on a UK Skilled Worker visa is not a free move. You cannot simply accept a job offer and start working for a new company. The visa is tied to your Certificate of Sponsorship — and therefore to your current employer — so every employer change requires a new application. Here is how the process works and what you need to check before you move.

The Mechanics: You Need a New CoS and a New Application

When you change employer on a Skilled Worker visa, you are not transferring your existing visa — you are applying for a new grant of leave under the Skilled Worker route with the new employer as your sponsor.

The process:

1. Your new employer assigns an Undefined Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) — the type used for in-country applications
2. You submit a new Skilled Worker permission-to-stay application before your current leave expires (or before your current employer's CoS end date, whichever is earlier)
3. You pay all fees again: the visa application fee (£943 or £1,865 depending on the visa length) and the Immigration Health Surcharge
4. You receive a decision, typically within 8 weeks under standard processing

The key rule: you must apply before your current leave expires. If your current Skilled Worker visa expires and you have not submitted a new application, you lose your lawful status. You cannot simply work for the new employer and sort out the visa later.

If you submit your new application before your current leave expires, you automatically have "section 3C leave" — the legal right to continue living and working in the UK while the new application is pending, even if your original visa expires during that period. This bridges the gap between applications.

Salary Requirements When Changing Employer

This is where transitions become complicated. The salary rules that apply to your new application depend on when your original CoS was assigned.

If your first CoS was assigned before April 4, 2024: You have transitional protection. When changing employer (while remaining in the same SOC occupation code), your general salary threshold is £31,300 rather than the current £41,700. This transitional protection is valid for extensions and employer changes up to April 4, 2030.

This protection is widely misunderstood by HR departments at new employers. Many will tell you that you need to earn £41,700 to be sponsored. If you are covered by the pre-April 2024 transitional rules, that is incorrect for your situation — the going rate for your SOC code still applies in full, but the general threshold floor is £31,300, not £41,700.

If your first CoS was assigned on or after April 4, 2024: Your employer change application is assessed against the current full thresholds: the higher of £41,700 or the full going rate for the new SOC code.

Changing occupation codes: If your new role is in a different SOC code from your current visa, the transitional protections tied to your previous code may not carry over. You may need to meet the full current threshold for the new code. This is a scenario worth verifying carefully before accepting a role that involves a change in occupation classification.

Switching From a Graduate Visa to Skilled Worker

If you are currently on a Graduate visa and securing your first Skilled Worker sponsorship, this is not technically "changing employer" — it is switching visa categories for the first time. The process is similar (new CoS, in-country application) but the salary thresholds are different.

Graduates switching from the Graduate route qualify for the New Entrant salary discount: the minimum is £33,400 or 70% of the going rate — whichever is higher. This discount is available for up to four cumulative years on the Skilled Worker route.

The Graduate visa is non-extendable, so timing matters. Your Skilled Worker application must be submitted while the Graduate visa is still valid. Do not wait until it expires.

What Happens to Your Right to Work During the Switch

Once you submit a new permission-to-stay application before your current leave expires, section 3C leave kicks in automatically. This means:

• You can continue living in the UK
• You can continue working for your current employer in the same role until the new application is decided
• You cannot start work at the new employer until the new Skilled Worker visa has been granted

The second point is critical. You may not start work for the new employer based on a pending application. You must wait for the actual approval before beginning the new role.

This is different from what many people assume — and different from how the PAYE and onboarding paperwork often gets started on the employer side. Your right to work for the new employer begins on the date your new visa is granted, not the date you submitted the application.

If Your Current Employer Loses Their Sponsor Licence

If your employer's Sponsor Licence is revoked, your Skilled Worker visa is curtailed. You will normally be given a 60-day window to:

• Find a new employer willing to sponsor you and submit a new Skilled Worker application
• Switch to a different eligible visa category
• Leave the UK

Sixty days is tight. If you receive notice that your employer's licence has been revoked or suspended, start exploring new employment immediately. You do not need to wait for formal curtailment notification — begin the job search as soon as the revocation appears on the Register of Licensed Sponsors.

Once you submit a new application within the 60-day window, section 3C leave covers you until the decision. If you miss the 60-day window, you will be in the UK without valid leave.

The Cost of Changing Employer

Every employer change requires a full application with full fees:

• Permission to stay (over 3 years): £1,865
• IHS: £1,145 per year of the new visa (e.g., £3,435 for a 3-year visa)

The employer also pays:

• £525 CoS fee
• Immigration Skills Charge: up to £6,600 for a large employer over 5 years

These are the statutory costs for a fresh start with a new sponsor. Unlike the US H-1B system, there is no simplified "transfer" process — it is a full new application each time.

The UK Skilled Worker Visa Guide includes a chapter on employer changes and switching, covering transitional salary protections in detail, the section 3C leave mechanics, and how to verify which salary threshold actually applies when you change roles or SOC codes.